INCOMING...Over 280g of Platinum Daytona Goodness

[7sins]

My journey with the Daytona started back in 2017, since then I have owned 5 different iterations, trying to find the right piece to the puzzle but nothing that ever fit just right. It started with a 116518 YG panda dial, this was an impulse buy and lasted a month or two, it was my first PM Rolex and wasn't right for me. Following was a 116500 panda dial, wanted to try the ceramic and oyster bracelet, I liked the watch but it didn't overly excite me and partially traded towards a 15202 at that time.

Shortly there after, wanted to try the Daytona on an OF and purchased the WG iteration. Of the ones that I previously owned, this or the meteorite were my favorite. OF was incredibly comfortable and aesthetically the watch was very cohesive, didn't blow me away but a wonderful daily. That lasted a good amount of time before a friend made an offer I couldn't refuse to sell. If I were to re-visit a watch on rubber, this would be it.

Just earlier this year, after the release of the new Daytona Meteorite, I wanted to explore the older WG meteorite iteration. The meteorite dial was fantastic, even if the hands blended in too much, I preferred the uniform dial to the now colored subdials on the new meteorite Daytona. I can't explain it, but there still felt like something was missing, maybe a ceramic bezel? After a few weeks I decided to stash away in the safety box and revisit end of year.

Fast forward to last week, there are a few grey dealers I work with consistently (I have no Rolex AD relationship) and he had a bnib Platinum Daytona. I have ZERO issue admitting I didn't get this for retail, it was worth every penny over MSRP I paid. I had never seen one in person and quite frankly, the Rolex stock photos didn't do much for me. He was offering a great deal and was able to see it at another dealer to try on in... it took 5 seconds and I was IMMEDIATELY hooked.

Few thoughts for those considering and several personal counterpoints to many of the TRF posts I have read during my research:

1. The Platona looks SUBSTANTIALLY better in person than in Rolex stock photos, the delta here is IMO, wider than any other model. The brown bezel in photos isn't the true depiction of the bezel color.

2. The brown ceramic bezel. This was my biggest apprehension, why would they pair this to a sleek ice blue dial for their 50th anniversary Daytona? First, the bezel honestly is a VERY dark brown/light black in normal to dark lighting. In the sun, the bezel is still an attractive dark brown. It really pairs well with the dial in person and I think sets the Daytona apart from the various other iterations available. You need to see it in person before writing off the bezel and or watch. I've also thought, not having the brown subdials probably brings out less of the brown in the bezel?

3. The weight! .6lbs (282g) of platinum goodness. I've owned the watch for a few days now, I know others posted the weight wasn't that noticeable, but it is. In a good way. It is noticeably heavier than its white gold brother and feels SOLID. I also prefer the look of platinum over a more muted WG, the latter still being attractive but optically different.

4. Diamond Baguettes. I am not a diamond or gem kind of guy, however, I preferred the all blue dial over the brown subdials. The Diamond baguettes in person are subtle and stunning, it is that extra touch to set it apart without being overwhelming. At a very quick glance, I am not sure you would notice they are diamond baguettes. Pairs extremely well against the blue dial. Everything blends so well together.

5. All ice blue dial looks wonderful in photos and nothing short of magical in person. The way the sun dances off the platinum and dial with the contrasting bezel, makes this one a keeper. In direct sunlight it can look a little washed out, almost a faint light blue. Of course lume here isn't great, only on the hands.

6. Case sizing. Call me crazy and I know it is an optical illusion but for whatever reason, this platinum Daytona feels as if it wears a tad larger than the others, especially larger than the OF. Posted a comparison pic against my 5270P which is 41m.

7. Random but no one ever mentions the platinum Rolex box and I never knew it was different than the normal Rolex PM box. Not only it is significantly (3x) larger than the normal Rolex PM box, it also has many different compartments within it.

This was a purely emotional and personal purchase, I will forgo my thoughts on it as an investment but I do believe pricing will not stay sub $150k for long. As many of you know me and my never ending indecisiveness, this one is an absolute keeper for me and plan to keep it in the collection for years to come. This will be a pivotal part of my collection as I decided to start consolidating and focusing only on watches I really enjoy.

Hope this helps others in their future Platona pursuits and enjoyed an unnecessarily long post. Below are a few pics guiding through my initial Daytona journey and finishing at this recent acquisition. B